A house without a roof would not be very effective. If you want to balance practicalities and aesthetics to choose the best roof for your home, first you need to know about the different types available.
Gable
A gable has two faces sloping down from the central point, creating a stable triangle. Subsets include the open, boxed and cross gable roof.
Saltbox
This time one wall is taller than its opposite, meaning the faces of the roof are unequal in size.
Dormer
When a large roof has a small gable extended from it, usually to allow an extra window with more space and light, it is a dormer.
Butterfly
Reversing the gable design, butterfly roofs are highest at the edge and slope in towards the middle.
Hip
Each wall is topped by a gently sloping roof face, with the four meeting in the middle. Subsets include the cross hip and pyramid hip.
Skillion
The skillion roof has a single flat slope heading in one direction. It means more space and exposure, which is good for solar panel installation.
Flat Roof
No slope, or at least only a tiny one to prevent water accumulation. Cheap, spacious but sometimes leaky. Some roofing companies Bristol, such as Mogford Prescott, have specialised flat roof services.
Sedum
Sedum roofs are made of living material, with soil laid on top of a waterproof cover so that grass and plants can be grown on top.
Corrugated
Wave patterns across the roof, which is usually made of metal or PVC, allow water to run off easily. These roofs are lightweight, cheap and easy to construct.
These are some of the most common and recognisable types of roof, but many more do exist, sometimes in combination. Choosing a roof is not as simple as it first appears.
